Caught Dead
by hols09
Summary: Sirius gave Lily an apologetic pat on the shoulder. How well he knew dysfunctional families. As an afterthought, he leaned over and twisted the cap off of the butterbeer, grinning. ... Please please please leave a review!
1. If they could see him now

Ah, if only the Most Noble and Ancient House of Black could see him now.

Sitting in the corner of the Leaky Cauldron, the nearest light coming from his faltering cigarette. A cloak draped over the adjacent, empty chair; he had been here for a while and was not in a hurry to leave. Black hair shaded his unnaturally bright eyes. There was a glass in front of him, but it was half empty. (Never half full.)

He kept an eye on the door, merely out of habit. No one he knew would come here tonight, he was confident. The aforementioned House of Black would never grace such an unkempt, COMMON establishment.

Sitting down the cigarette, he sighed. He didn't remember where he had picked up the habit, but he did know that he was not the first wizard to do so, and certainly not the last. If he could be bothered to, there were easy solutions for quitting. Unimportant, though.

It was a Saturday night. Why didn't he just Apparate back to his flat, sharpen up a little, head out into Muggle London? Always something to do there. A smirk crossed his face at the thought.

But he didn't stand up; if anything, he sank deeper into the uncomfortable wooden chair, listening to the dull murmur of conversation. There was only one real topic worth saying anything about these days. The Dark Lord, his faithful servants, the Death Eaters, the havoc they were wreaking on both worlds. Surely the Ministry was having a time trying to sort things out. Hopeless.

His thoughts wandered. Where were his friends tonight, he wondered. He could guess.

Wormtail - most likely sitting at home with his mother, putting his feet up after a dull day's work in Hogsmeade. To be fair, he at least had graduated from Hogwarts. No one had seen that coming.

Moony - it was hard to say. He and his furry little problem... shame.

Prongs - this was easy. They had gotten together just last week. Much to absolutely no one's surprise, he and Evans were engaged. He had put off Auror training, though for what reasons, he would not say. Instead, he was back on the Quidditch pitch, temporarily, he had been assured.

Evans. Lily. Lily Evans. Soon to be Lily Potter, Mrs. James Potter. He turned the name over a few more times in his head. Prongs hadn't said what she was doing these days (besides living with him) but no doubt she was either the head of Saint Mungo's or Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts or the Minister's personal assistant or something along those lines. He missed her just as much as he did the rest of them, as much as he didn't like to admit it.

Picking up his glass, he took another swig, his knuckles clenching as he did. 


	2. Compare, compared

Revolving glass doors had never done anything wrong by her. Truly, they hadn't. Nevertheless, she would have given anything for a nice, solid, slammable door. 

Hiking her purse up on her shoulder, she began to fiddle with the buttons of her coat. Damn it... she could barely see them. The fact that it was dark outside was not solely to blame, for tears were welling up in her eyes.

She took a deep, steadying breath as she distanced herself from the hotel. It had been awfully brash of her to walk out on them like that, but she wasn't too worried. It wasn't like they couldn't find their way back to their rooms; the restaurant was on the ground floor. And she had seen that look on her parents' faces before. Mildly surprised, a bit hurt, but still sympathetic. They'd get over it.

Now, as for her sister... Lily scowled. Why had she even tagged along? Didn't she have something better to do? Refine her obsessive compulsive syndrome? Clean something? Go cook dinner for _Vernon_? Vernon this, Vernon that, "_at least he's normal_."

What the hell was that supposed to mean, anyway?

She blinked a few times, willing the tears to stay put. She'd just have to try and think about something else. Not him. Anything but him, for the moment.

The rain seemed to be the only thing cooperating with her on this chilly evening. Sure, her hair would surely be frizzy and she'd probably catch a cold. But it was a small comfort, at least, to know that it wouldn't rain forever. Things would clear up. Glancing up into the street lamps' light, she felt mesmerized by the sight. It looked as if the rain was slowing down, but judging by theblossoming puddles in the street, it was just an illusion.

That's it, she thought to herself. Just forget about them, him, everyone. She crossed her arms to her chest, wondering how much further she had to go. Not far, she was sure. She had chosen that hotel for her parents for a reason. Just in case something exactly like this happened...

There. Right up ahead, on the corner. Her pace quickened, and as she pushed open the door, she breathed a sigh of relief. The room was lit with feeble candlelight, and filled with the hum of discussion. Maybe notas welcoming asThree Broomsticks, she thought to herself as she moved towards the end of the bar, but it would have to do. She stifled a chuckle, trying to imagine her family's reactions if she had had them stay here. She could handle it, her parents would tolerate it,her sistermight faint.

Tom, the innkeeper, was busy trying to settle a bill with a nasty looking goblin. Lily pulled out a chair at the nearest empty table, and shrugged out of her coat. She unzipped her purse, digging through the bottom. A healthy amount of Galleons were taking up space in her wallet. Right up next to the Muggle money. It was so tempting to throw it away, maybe toss it into the fireplace. Once again, she was struck with the idea of Petunia. Her sister couldn't get over the fact that_Vernon_ made a nice sum, that he was well on his way to owning the company, that they had a nice car and comfortable house. All of it well-earned, she had assured Lily.

Lily hurriedly tried to change her train of thought, telling herself that it was not worth getting upset about. Not worth worrying over.

She pulled her hair back into a loose bun, then reached down the table, pulling a discarded_Daily Prophet_towards her. Something (strong, judging by the smell) had been spilled on it. She had only gotten through the front page when she felt a hand, its grip gentle but firm, on her shoulder.

**A/N: **Ho hum. Let me know what you think. Hopefully any and all questions will be answered in one more chapter...


	3. Let's not and say we did

"Come here often?" 

Lily looked up, relaxing slightly as the shock wore off. Her heart was still racing as she found her voice. "Would have come sooner if I had known you were here," she said with a smile.

Sirius pulled out a chair and sat down, only then releasing his grip on her shoulder. He studied her face for a few seconds before smiling as well.

"How are you?" she asked, pushing the _Prophet_ away, as if trying to distance herself from the dreadful news on the front page. _Auror killed in raid of suspected Death Eater's house._

"Never better," Sirius lied easily. He didn't glance at the paper, not out of apathy, but because the news was hitting too close to home lately. "Yourself?"

Lily rolled her eyes. "Worst day I've had in a while, honestly."

Sirius grinned, pushing his hair back. "Really, because, no offense, but you look like hell." He laughed aloud as her hands flew up to her hair, hastily redoing it for the second time in so many minutes. He offered her his drink, which she eyed dubiously.

"Somehow I think that's not exactly Euphoria Elixir."

"You'd be right. And yet, it's a thousand times better than a Cheering Charm."

"No thank you," she said, returning his smile. "So what have you been up to lately?"

Sirius shifted in his chair. What _had_ he been doing? Nothing productive, honestly... made a copy of his mother's Gringotts vault key... received an inheritance, much to his family's displeasure... rented out a flat in London... tried half heartedly to decide what he was going to do with his life...

"This and that," he finally answered. "Saw James last week, did he tell you?"

Lily's eyebrows raised and she looked away, responding only with a quiet "No, he didn't."

Sirius hesitated, wondering if this was a touchy subject. Regardless, he was horribly curious, so he pressed on. "He told me your good news..." Her expression softened slightly. "Very exciting... who would have thought, Potter and Evans..."

Now she was smiling, albeit weakly. Almost subconsciously she took her hands out of her lap and rested them on the table, the silver of her ring catching the light. The band was simple, and if he was seeing correctly in the dim light, there was a tiny emerald flanked by two diamonds of the same size. He could have sworn he had seen it before. Probably a heirloom. He imagined trying to give some woman a Black family ring - it would be as gaudy as Lily's was understated. An enormous "B" would adorn the top, surely.

He had barely finished that thought when Lily stood up suddenly and walked away. His first instinct was to follow her, and he had almost got up when he realized she was just going in search of Tom.

She came back in another few minutes, a slip of parchment wrapped around the neck of a bottle of butterbeer. Smiling apologetically, she said, "Had to make new arrangements."

"Arrangements?"

A sigh. "I invited my parents here to... you know, break the news to them. And they brought along my sister... things went downhill from there," she said dryly.

Sirius gave her an apologetic pat on the shoulder. How well he knew dysfunctional families. As an afterthought, he leaned over and twisted the cap off of the butterbeer, smiling.

Lily took a small sip, pondering her words. "They - my parents, I mean - were, oh, I dunno, pleasantly surprised... Petunia got married last year, maybe - I wasn't there, not invited. S'pose it's a good thing James wasn't there tonight..." She drew in a slightly shaky breath, as if it hurt to say his name.

Sirius wasn't sure what to say. It was one thing to just play the sympathy card, but when he really did feel bad... "What happened?" he asked gently.

Brushing a lock of hair from her eyes, she shrugged. "Normal Petunia behavior. 'When are you going to stop playing these stupid little games? Marrying a wizard, you'll be bankrupt in a month.'" She sighed, but it turned into a yawn. "And then, of course, we get into this huge stage-whispered argument and the whole restaurant is staring." She took another sip. Sirius was reminded of what a lightweight she was - James had figured that out shortly before the end of their seventh year.

"So what did you do? _Levicorpus_?" He grinned.

Lily laughed quietly. "I wish... I'm trying to get a job in the Ministry, not a jail cell in Azkaban."

Sirius raised an eyebrow. "Oh yeah? Doing what? James didn't tell me this."

Lily's face darkened again at the sound of her fiance's name. "Department of International Magical Cooperation. Why there, I don't know." She smiled weakly once more.

"No, that's good." He opened his mouth as if to continue on, but suddenly he wasn't so sure.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"You were going to say something..."

"Fine, you caught me." He sighed. "Is James trying to recruit you for the Order?"

Lily began to trace the grain in the wooden table with a finger. "Yeah. I don't want to stand aside and do nothing, but it's just... he's almost always away now, promising me he'll come back soon but more often than not it's just a note from an owl or someone else dropping by to say he's delayed."

She paused, and Sirius didn't interrupt, hoping she'd continue.

"I... I talked to Dumbledore. He said I'd be a wonderful asset, a strong member, everything he told us while we were in school." Sirius nodded, remembering that night in the headmaster's office. Lily kept going. "He even said more likely than not, James and I would work on things together... I was almost convinced..."

Her eyes were becoming glassy again with tears. They were getting there, Sirius thought to himself. He reached out impulsively and held her hand. He could feel the eyes of more than one patron on them.

Trying to smile, Lily continued in a quieter voice. "He promised to come with me tonight... but I woke up this morning and he was gone." She looked down, drawing another shaky breath in.

Sirius's grip tightened. "He left a note, though, didn't he?" He couldn't imagine James being that rude.

"Yeah." She slowly freed her hand and went to rifle through her purse. Extracting a soft, worn-looking piece of parchment, she handed it to him.

_Lily_, it read. _I just couldn't wake you up, I'm sorry. I'll be back soon, don't worry. I can't tell you where I'm going though, and I'm sure you understand. Don't wait up - good luck tonight - I love you - James._

Sirius frowned. It seemed out of character for James - especially where Lily was concerned. He tried to come up with some comforting words, but all he could manage was that same frown and a slight nod of his head.

"I'm so scared," Lily said, more quietly than before.

"You shouldn't be," he said slowly. "James and Dumbledore and all the rest know what they're doing," he added, even if it didn't truly believe it. How _could _you know what you were doing, facing a Dark Wizard, the likes of which hadn't been seen for a good generation before them? He didn't say any of this to Lily, of course, not while she was like this.

All the same, he cast a glance around the room. A few people were staring, mostly men. In retrospect, it would probably seem odd, what with him walking up to a woman, sitting down, talking to her quietly, seriously, and now looking about warily. Sirius sighed. Meeting the gaze of one of their observers, he narrowed his eyes, not liking the other man's expression one bit.

"I don't think you should stay here tonight," he said matter-of-factly, looking back to Lily.

She shrugged. "It's not like I can go back to the hotel," she replied.

"Why not?"

"James booked two rooms - one for my parents, one for us. He didn't show up, and Petunia did... and after tonight, I'd really rather not see her again... ever," Lily explained, perhaps a bit dramatically. Sirius figured she was entitled. He downed the last of his drink, thinking.

"I guess I can just go back home," said Lily finally.

Sirius quickly shook his head and swallowed, wincing. "No."

It was her turn to ask, "Why not?"

Sirius bit his tongue, not wanting to explain himself. But this was Lily Evans, after all, who needed an answer and explanation for everything.

"I just think," he began slowly, "that it's too risky, with James gone. He didn't want you to know where he was..." He paused, fervently hoping she could put two and two together. At her confused expression, he reluctantly continued. "Maybe he was afraid someone might come asking after him... maybe it would be safer if you didn't know."

Lily's eyes were looking wet once more. He felt horrible, and it certainly wasn't as if he could just take back what he said.

"Come stay with me tonight. We'll get in touch with Dumbledore first thing in the morning, and I'm sure by then James will be done doing whatever he has to do."

Lily was silent, staring at her hands as she twisted her engagement ring around her finger.

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**A/N**: Would it be completely narcissistic of me to say that I completely loved this chapter? This is what happens when I actually plan! Originally I was going to stop here, but another plot bunny struck me at the same time as this one and as I've been writing, I realized I can put them together... chapter four probably won't come for quite a bit, but PLEASE add me to your story alerts when it does. I'm excited!


	4. The morning ripped you away

Her first rational thought of the day: curtains would have been nice. The daylight was piercing through the bare window, angling right for Lily's face. She sighed and pulled the blanket over her head, but when that became stifling, she pushed it away and opened her eyes. She turned slightly, missing the assuring way her bed at home creaked. 

She couldn't turn too far; the bed was small and she wasn't the only occupant. A small smile broke onto her face as she looked at his messy black hair on the back of his head. She tapped his bare shoulder, and he slowly turned onto his back, not quite awake.

It wasn't James. She reeled away, feeling sick to her stomach at the realization.

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She was hanging onto the edge of the bed, half on, half off, when she woke up. Breathing heavy, she slowly sat up at looked to the empty space next to her.

It was all just a horrible, cruel, dream. She pressed the heels of her hands into her eyes, drawing her legs up to her chest. When she finally opened her eyes, she had calmed down slightly, and so she got up. Still wearing a borrowed pair of sweat pants and a tee shirt of Sirius's, she made her way to the bedroom door.

Sirius, already dressed, was standing in the apartment's kitchenette. She noticed a blanket and pillow still on the couch where he had slept last night, and his traveling cloak over the back of a chair. He looked up at the sound of her bare feet on the tile.

"Morning. Sleep well?"

Lily paused. If only he knew. "Yes, fine, thanks. For everything, I mean..."

"Don't mention it," he said, handing her a cup of coffee. She took it gratefully and sat down in an empty chair, her eyes on his cloak.

"Have you been out already?" she asked, glancing at his cloak.

"Yeah, actually." He leaned on the counter top. "I wanted to check some places," he said.

"Like?" she asked, smiling half heartedly.

He held up a hand, counting on his fingers. "The Leaky Cauldron, The Hog's Head, and The Three Broomsticks," he began. "Just told them all to keep an eye out for me." He paused, looking down and appearing uncomfortable.

"Oh, well that's good," Lily responded, meaning it. But she did notice his expression, which puzzled her. "Something wrong?"

Sirius met her gaze, looking as though he wished she hadn't asked. "I, uh, stopped by your house as well... it wasn't as good."

Lily's hands began to shake, resulting in a bit of coffee spilling out of its mug. She cursed and went to get a napkin, but Sirius just pulled out his wand, motioning for her to sit as he cleaned it up. "What's wrong? Why wasn't it good?" she asked quietly, feeling nervous at the thought.

He sighed, and seated himself opposite from her. "Someone broke in, looking for something, I think." He didn't say what he wanted to, which was 'someone' instead of 'something', but he didn't want to worry Lily any more than she already was. "Everything was torn up and out of place... I mean, I know James is messy, but this was just ridiculous."

That last part, at least, got a bit of a smile out of Lily. She couldn't imagine what someone would be searching for, but her conscience said that it had to do with whatever James was so busy with now. Tracing the grain of the wooden table with a finger, she sighed. "I hope they didn't find it, whatever it was."

"Doubtful," Sirius said truthfully. "Anyways, I think I got everything put back together... I wasn't sure where exactly you kept the lingerie, though." He grinned mischieviously and started to laugh as Lily flushed red, sorely wishing she had a wand in reach. "Kidding, just kidding," he said once he stopped chuckling. "Okay, seriously. We've got stuff to do."

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Just short of an hour later, Lily found herself a little out of breath as she and Sirius walked up to the Hogwarts castle. She had forgotten what a trek it was, having grown used to Apparition. At the same time, she felt a wave of anxiety forcing itself into her chest, and she couldn't suppress a shiver. Sirius glanced over at her, pausing momentarily at the base of the steps leading to the overly large front doors.

"What's wrong?"

"What's right?" Lily smiled weakly. Once upon a time, she might have been irritable with him for asking that, but he didn't deserve that now. "I'm just nervous. Are you sure he'll be here?"

"Lily, I seriously doubt James has holed up in Hogwarts."

"Not him. I meant Dumbledore."

"Oh, right." Sirius shrugged. "He didn't answer my owl, but the gates opened up for us. He knows we're coming." He turned back to the doors and scaled the steps, opening the door for her.

Doubts assuaged for the time being, Lily followed Sirius up the steps and preceded him into the Entrance Hall. She breathed a sigh, seeing the familiar white marble staircase and the house points counters slightly beyond that. Gryffindor was in the lead, she noted. "So what now?"

"Just wait, I guess," Sirius said sheepishly. "Maybe they've got breakfast," he said, jerking his head in the direction of the Great Hall as he turned and walked towards it. Lily followed with a huff. He'd drag her off to all his old haunts if she wasn't careful.

A few students were lingering at the house tables, eating a late breakfast or working on their schoolwork away from the bustle of the common room. They walked along, Lily looking for any familiar faces, Sirius for an uneaten plate. A few of the students glanced up, but seemed relatively unconcerned by their presence, which made Lily raise an eyebrow. She would have gone running straight to McGonnagall - speaking of which...

"Black? Sirius Black?"

He turned around quickly, a guilty grin crossing his face. "Minerva, how splendid."

The elder witch looked a bit torn between scolding him and laughing. Instead, she ended up looking to Lily. "Miss Evans, what are you two doing here?"

Lily shrugged. "I asked the same thing myself, honestly."

"Dumbledore! We're here to see Dumbledore, isn't it obvious?" Sirius said with a bit of exasperation in his voice. "Do you know where he is?"

McGonnagall opened her mouth as if to respond, but she was cut off by another addition to their little group.

"Is this who I think it is?" Slorace Slughorn seemed to come out of nowhere. (Odd, seeing that he would have a difficult time hiding.) He clapped one hand on Lily's shoulder and extended the other to Sirius, beaming. "I can't tell you how happy I am to see you two again."

Sirius was at least decent enough to look away before he rolled his eyes; Lily, on the other hand, had to struggle through a laugh that was begging to get out. "Likewise, Professor, really."

Smiling a bit more pleasantly now, McGonnagall looked between the two former students. "You said you came to see Dumbledore?"

"Yeah," said Sirius, "he should know we're coming. It's um... important business, you know," he added, hesitant to say anything about the Order in front of the Potions master.

"Haven't seen him since breakfast yesterday," Slughorn interjected. Lily felt her anxiety level go up a notch.

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**A/N**: Kind of lame, I know. But I didn't get a SINGLE review for the last chapter I uploaded in my other story and I was kind of feeling deprived :( So hopefully I angered enough of a mob who will flame me for that first part and then my day will be complete haha.


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